President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to confer the Order of the Volta on the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces for completing the clearing of the right-of-way for the Accra-Kumasi Expressway ahead of schedule.

The Regiment cleared 175.6 kilometres of the route in 19 weeks instead of the 20 weeks allocated for the exercise.

President Mahama announced the honour on Monday, September 14, when the Ghana Armed Forces formally handed over the cleared route to the government at Kwaso in the Ashanti Region.

“In 20 weeks, I’m pleased to announce to the whole country Ghana that our armed forces have accomplished this mission. One week ahead of schedule, they did it in 19 weeks,” the President said.

He noted that the exercise involved clearing a route from Ablekuma in the Greater Accra Region to Sewua in the Ashanti Region, including stretches through forests and across rivers and streams.

President Mahama said the Regiment would receive the national honour at the next national honours ceremony, expected to coincide with Ghana’s 70th Independence anniversary celebrations.

“I have given instructions that at the next national honours, which we shall do to mark the 70th anniversary of independence of the Republic of Ghana, the engineers regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces shall receive an Order of the Companion of the Volta,” he said.